Pizza for Creevy
by theartofsafecracking
Summary: "A delivery person wouldn't be helping themselves to the bar. Or carrying cakes in pizza boxes, for that matter." Raine's 21st birthday is crashed by a mysterious stranger with a surprisingly detailed knowledge of her past. Meanwhile, Ace finally gets a chance to deliver one of Raine's birthday presents. Ace & Raine friendship. Co-written with ILiveInTheTARDIS.


**Title:** Pizza For Creevy  
**Characters:** Raine Creevy, Ace McShane  
**Pairings:** Ace & Raine friendship (UST if you squint?)  
**Rating:** T for safety (mature themes)  
**Summary:** "A delivery person wouldn't be helping themselves to the bar. Or carrying cakes in pizza boxes, for that matter." Raine's 21st birthday is crashed by a mysterious stranger with a surprisingly detailed knowledge of her past. Meanwhile, Ace finally gets a chance to deliver one of Raine's birthday presents.  
**Warnings:** None; all characters consuming alcohol are of age in the UK.  
**Notes:** Co-written with user ILiveInTheTARDIS. Part of the series The Book of Raine. Ace is from an unspecified point after Raine has left the TARDIS.  
**Disclaimer:** Ace, Raine, and Doctor Who property of the BBC/Big Finish.

At first Raine didn't hear the engine. The loudspeakers, pumping a heavy beat, drowned it out. Then she chalked the odd rumbling up to some sort of reverb. By the time she had processed the catering staff's shouts of alarm the motorbike had already burst through the swinging back doors and skidded to a halt in the middle of the dance floor, scattering partygoers in its wake.

The helmeted rider kicked out the stand, effectively parking the vehicle in the centre of room.

A muffled voice called, "Pizza for Creevy?"The room muttered amongst themselves while the rider scanned the crowd, their eyes invisible behind the dark shaded visor.

Raine pushed her way through the crowd, half-empty drink forgotten in her hand. She eyed the rider and the skid marks on the floor sceptically. She hoped this wouldn't affect the insurance deposit. She'd gone through enough effort to acquire the funds and rent the space without having to deal with some juvenile prank. "I didn't order any pizza..." she said suspiciously.

The rider stood, loosened the ties around a pizza box strapped to the back of the bike and raised it. The rider glanced down at a piece of paper sticky-taped to the lid. "It says Creevy right here."

They crossed the room, carrying the box, and approached her. Once the shock of the rider's arrival had worn off, the biker, due to their less than menacing height and slight build, didn't appear as threatening. The identity of the rider remained unknown on the other hand, and the guests kept their distance. As if sensing the lingering unease, the rider reached up and removed the offending helmet to reveal a broad grin and bright shining eyes. A single long plait fell, freed from the helmet's containment. The rider shook her head and brushed a few strands of loose hair out of her face, then proceeded to wave slightly at the faces of the crowd.

"Not yours, you say? Bummer. I've come such a long way too."

The leather-clad rider fumbled to open the pizza box for Raine to see. The box did not contain a pizza, bizarrely, but a sponge cake, the top layer of cream slightly squashed to accommodate the box. Even with the squashing, Raine was not sure how it had managed to fit in a box that flat.

The rider glanced down at the cake. "What am I supposed to do with this then, if it's not yours?"

Raine glanced down at the cake, and then up at the rider. The cake looked very tempting, squashed strawberries and cherries aside. Almost a shame to turn it down, despite the rider's rude entrance. "I suppose if you leave you'd take the cake with you?"

"Seems like such a waste, even if you haven't paid for it yet." The rider then plunged a hand through the centre of the cake and smeared the cream over Raine's face. "Whoops. Now you _**have**_ to pay for it."

Raine glowered at the rider through her messy mouthful of cake, extremely aware of the titters spreading through the crowd behind her.

The rider leant forward to mutter in Raine's ear. "Can't blame me, can you? Finding the venue was a trial in itself, especially since you weren't considerate enough to leave an address."

Raine muttered back, "I didn't order anything. You shouldn't even be here unless..."

"Unless...?" the rider prompted.

"Somebody else ordered the cake under my name." After a moment she frowned, adding "and didn't pay for it."

The rider glanced away, having heard a snippet of conversation from a passing guest. "Did she say 'Open Bar'?" She grinned broadly. "Two of my favourite words. If you don't mind, oh gracious host..." She turned and walked over towards the bar with a slight swagger.

Raine stared incredulously at her retreating back. She wiped the icing and crumbs off her face and muttered. "Who does she think she is, crashing my party and helping herself to the bar?"

After being approached by a few curious guests about the stranger and laughing their questions off with a vague shake of her hand, she caught sight of the rider downing her third glass of undoubtedly expensive vodka and marched over.

The rider, catching sight of her, quickly turned to the bartender. "What's the fanciest, most expensive thing you've got? I'll have two."

Raine picked the helmet off the stool and slammed it onto the counter as she sat down.

The rider glanced over at her with bemusement. "Hope you're not about to try kicking me out."

She gave the rider a scathing glance. "I'm still considering it," she said shortly, reaching over to procure the full second glass. Lifting it, she added, "But since I'm going to end up paying for this anyway, I might as well stop you from having them both for yourself."

The rider smiled. "The second was meant for you anyway. Calm the storm a little."

Raine tipped the glass in acknowledgment. "Well, I'm not one to complain about a mysterious stranger buying me a drink. Which reminds me. Who are you? And don't say 'the cake delivery girl'."

The rider grinned. "The cake delivery girl."

Raine rolled her eyes and took a large sip of her drink. "A delivery person wouldn't be helping themselves to the bar. Or carrying cakes in pizza boxes, for that matter."

"You're right. I never got the hang of waitressing either. Think I'll fire myself." She glanced over her shoulder, spying a few faces staring at her. When she waved at them, they hurriedly moved on. "Anyway, don't mind me. I'll drink my fill then get out of your hair, no strings attached." Just the delivery girl, only cooler ...and drawing an awful lot of stares." She shrugged, unconcerned. She glances over her shoulder again. "Oh, wait. It's not me. It's you, birthday girl. And I think they're about to start the speeches. Love an embarrassing speech, especially when it's not mine."

Raine opened her mouth to speak when a cheer went through the crowd. A pair of arms pulled her off her stool and across the room. A spotlight aimed at where she stood clicked on, momentarily blinding her. Blinking in the glare, she glanced past the crowd gathered around the makeshift stage over to the bar, but the other stool was empty and the helmet missing. The mysterious biker was gone, vanished into the shadows.

The guests left long before Raine did. She lingered through the cleanup, partly to help and make sure there were no hard feelings over the motorbike and unexpected guest, but mostly because the self-proclaimed "cake delivery girl" had reappeared right as everyone was leaving and was casually leaning against the door frame.

"Hope the birthday girl arranged a driver to take her home."

Home was only a few blocks away, something Raine had taken into consideration when choosing her venue. But she wouldn't say no to a ride, and definitely not to a ride with some answers thrown in. She arched an eyebrow. "What's your alternative? That?" She nodded at the bike visible through the window.

"'That'?" the rider repeated, indignantly. "She mightn't look much to you but she's fast. You don't have to, just I know you've got no lift coming. Nobody ought to have to walk home alone in the dark on their birthday."

"You 'know' I've got no lift?" Raine echoed with a laugh. "Nothing creepy about that."

"I might have talked to a few of your friends. They never mentioned a lift, and none of them stuck around. And unless you've got a secret boyfriend none of them know about who's on his way, you're planning on walking."

"You doubt the existence of my secret boyfriend?" Raine placed a joking hand on her heart. "You wound me. He was just waiting for you to leave." She laughed. "You're persistent though, so I might have to disappoint him. Won't take no for an answer, will you?" she added, walking over to the door.

"Nope." The rider smiled and passed Raine her helmet.

Raine pulled it on. "I assume you have a spare?

The rider scoffed, "Like I need one. Relax, I'm used to driving people home, sober or otherwise, awake or otherwise. You need it more than I do." She pushed back the stand. "Make sure to wave to that boyfriend otherwise he'll be out here all night." After a moment's thought, she shrugged off her coat and threw it at Raine. "Here. Don't want to have to worry about you freezing."

"I don't feel cold," Raine said but shrugged and put it on anyway. "Of course, that could just be the vodka talking."

"Or the Russian," the rider murmured, almost too softly for Raine to catch.

Raine stared at her. "How did you know that?"

"Five glasses in under an hour," the rider hurriedly explains. "Got to be some Russian in you to manage that and still walk in a straight line."

Something in the rush to answer concerned Raine. There was certainly something off about the stranger. Not dangerous, at least not in any of the ways she'd been warned about as a child or seen in the more distasteful business associates of her father's, but definitely very strange. She'd ask later, she decided. After she'd gotten her ride. She pushed the door open. "Should I give you directions or just assume you know where I live, too?"

The rider laughs and scratches the back of her head awkwardly. "Well... Not to be creepy or anything, but... Yeah."

Raine raised her eyebrows but didn't push the issue. "What are you waiting for, then?"

"Just checking you're not going to jump off because of the creepiness."

Raine gestured at the empty street. "Secret boyfriend seems to have gotten tired of waiting."

The rider muttered, "Or is lying in wait at your door." She revved the motor.

Raine sat down behind her. "In which case it's a good thing I have you to protect me, in case he turns nasty." She laughed.

The rider didn't laugh. "He better not. I've got my steel-caps on. Hold on." Raine wrapped her arms around the rider's waist and clung tightly as the motorbike roared to life without further preamble.

The rider's plait struck the helmet a few times until the bike's speed stabilised. It wasn't the usual way she followed to get home, thought Raine. It'd been years since she'd ridden a motorbike. It reminded her of her old one, but, like many of the possessions she'd acquired over the years, it had been taken to be resold or confiscated without explanation.

After a few tight but graceful turns the sound of the motor dropped to a quiet purr as the bike glided to a gentle stop outside an apartment block.

"Last stop," the rider declared. "Everybody off."

Raine noticed a golden gleam in the rider's eyes as she dismounted, and in her surprise, caught her heel on the edge of the seat, sending her staggering. When she regained her balance and looked again, the gleam was gone.

"Yep, too much drink for you tonight," the rider commented as she got off without a problem and kicked the stand out.

Raine glanced at the apartment then back at the rider, a few questions poised on the tip on her tongue. She allowed the helmet to be gently tugged off.

"Mine I believe."

Raine laughed and shrugged out of the coat. "Also yours, I believe."

The coat was quickly donned, the rider's eyes watching Raine expectantly. "Thank you for the ride," Raine said. "Unless you were waiting for something else?

The rider looked amused. "I crash your party, drink from your bar, eat your food, and I get asked if I want anything else?"

Raine shrugged. "Well, you did seem to be waiting for something."

"I can hear questions screaming in your head. Waiting to see if you'll give in to them or if you think you can live without knowing the answers."

Raine leaned back against the door. "Is this some sort of test?" She laughed. "Don't even know your name, and you're testing me for something."

"Little Creevy, you never remembered my name, but that's alright. I can live with that. Missing your 21st, that was something I couldn't live with." The rider smiled to herself.

"It was you who snuck that into the birthday speech then?"

"Only because you somehow managed to edit out anything you didn't like."

"How would you know, anyway? Last time someone called me "little Creevy" you must have been one year old or so." She glanced over the rider dubiously. "Can't be much more than nineteen now."

"Older than I look." The rider glanced at Raine, stepped forward and tapped her gently on the tip of her nose. "Maybe you'll remember me this time." She stepped onto the curb and slid onto the padded seat. "Maybe. Or I'll just be the stranger who crashed your party and took you home".

"Wait," Raine called. On impulse she grabbed one of the handle bars, fearing the rider would zoom away at any moment. "You're just going to disappear, then? The mysterious stranger won't even tell me her name?"

"Need a name to feed to your friends, eh?"

Raine bit her lip. "No, that's not..." Her earlier fears pushed their way to the front of her mind. "You work with Daddy, don't you? You're a part of that... that gang he's running with now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about but," the rider gestured at her face, "do I look like someone who's involved with a gang?"

Raine studied her face. No, she decided, she might claim to be old but she doesn't fool me. She looked too young, and more pertinently, too honest to be involved in anything that dark. Her eyes were shining as if proclaiming their sincerity. Raine knew she should not rely on appearances, but there was something soothing about the light behind those eyes.

She found herself releasing the handle bars and watched the rider pull her plait on top of her head as she pulled on the helmet. The rider revved the engine once more. "The 'Handsome biker' you're going to mention in your diary is called Ace, by the way."

The visor hid the rider's face, but Raine just knew she was grinning broadly.

"Later Creevy." Raine watched as bike and rider rumbled down the street and vanished into the night.

It was only then that she realised she'd never gotten her answers.


End file.
